Ghosts
by Loupie
Summary: Leon and Ada are in Europe on a mission again. This time, they're on the same side. Or are they? Sequel to Calaveras.
1. Chapter 1

**Ghosts**

**Chapter 1**

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

The defunct textile factory 30 miles from Geneva was supposed to be unstaffed at this hour. There was supposed to be zero resistance. Instead, the four-man recon team led by Leon S. Kennedy had found themselves up against an entire battalion armed to the teeth.

Months of planning and strategy. Intel compiled from multiple solid sources. Weeks of covert aerial surveillance. They had even staked the place out themselves for the last two weeks. There was no sign that they had been made. How could this be happening?

Only one explanation made sense, and it wasn't one Leon wanted to spend any time thinking about.

A voice blasted through Leon's headset.

"Man down! Man down!"

Through the smoke of gunfire, Leon made out a figure slumped on the ground, 10 or 20 feet in front of him. He took a quick visual survey. Garcia was across the aisle from him. Unser was crouching further ahead. The casualty had to be Reeves.

"Unser! Get him back here!"

Leon laid down a rally of covering fire as Unser dragged Reeves to safety.

"How bad?" Leon barked.

"Grazed his neck!"

Leon clenched his jaw. Neck wounds were never good. Too close to the carotid artery. Reeves needed medical attention right now.

He checked his supplies, a move that made his confidence plummet. He was already halfway through his last clip. Their opponent was advancing. They were better stocked, had better weapons, and there were more of them.

He had to think fast. They'd lost contact with HQ just after they'd made their way inside. By the time they realised they weren't alone, the radio signal had already been intercepted.

Damn it, Kennedy! You're the leader here--Lead!

He shot Garcia a glance. Bullets were spitting out of his machine pistol like water out of a power hose. For a split second, Leon allowed himself to hope. It would be nothing short of a miracle, but maybe, just maybe, they could make this work.

But then, Garcia's voice crackled through the cacophony directly into his ear, killing his pipe dream.

"I'm nearly out of ammo!"

As much as Leon hated failure, there was only one decision he could make. This wasn't a solo mission. There were lives of his men at stake.

"Abort!" he yelled. "Fall back! Now!"

Unser already had Reeves propped up against him. Leon grabbed the other side of him. With Garcia covering, they made a hasty retreat.

----

"Face it, Kennedy. We were set up."

They were traveling by boat back to Central Geneva where they had set up HQ. The river was quiet in the dark, or maybe the hum of the motor simply obliterated all ambient sound.

Leon was sitting at the bow of the boat, shielding his men from the bitter rush of fall night air. It was the least he could do.

Behind him, Unser was bent over Reeves, who was dipping in and out of consciousness.

Unser leaned out the boat and spat into the water. "Never trusted that bitch."

Gritting his teeth, Leon swallowed his response. But Garcia, piloting at the stern, spoke up.

"You're just sore 'coz she won't nail you."

"I wouldn't touch her even if she begged for it."

"I'll look out for a shooting star so you can make a wish."

"Screw you, Garcia!"

"Knock it off, both of you!" Leon roared, glaring at them over his shoulder. He paused. "Reeves deserves better," he finished.

Unser and Garcia reluctantly agreed to a temporary ceasefire, though both knew their disagreement wasn't at an end. As far as Leon could tell, Unser and Garcia had clashed the moment they'd met. Unser's boorish approach irked Garcia and if truth be told, he irked Leon too. But unlike Leon, Garcia didn't bite his lip when Unser said something he didn't like.

Reeves had been brought in specifically as an appeasing influence. His presence had had the desired effect, but it didn't completely eradicate petty arguments that erupted between the two.

Their constant bickering had been a source of unnecessary strain for six long months, a predicament that was difficult at the best of times. But when the two people in question were members of a six person task force engaged in perilous missions, they could put everybody involved at risk. If Unser and Garcia hadn't had the exact experience and skillset this operation required, one or both of them would have been pulled long ago. Now, with Reeves injured, they were going to have to learn to work together fast, or they were out.

"How's he doing?" Leon asked.

Unser lowered his head. "I don't think he's gonna make it."

Leon clambered over to Reeves and clutched his hand. Once strong, it was now limp and ice-cold. He squeezed it.

"Todd."

Reeves' eyelids flickered, then slowly opened. It took a long time, but he finally managed to focus on Leon.

"We're nearly there. Can you hold on?"

With effort, Reeves gave Leon a thumbs up.

Leon swallowed hard. He wanted to say so much but nothing captured how he felt exactly. Even if he'd had his whole life, he wouldn't have been able to come up with anything more on the mark than the two words that fell from his lips. "I'm sorry."

Reeves shook his head as best he could. "Owe me a donut," he gurgled.

A small laugh escaped Leon. "I'll get you a whole box the moment we dock."

Reeves tried a smile. Failed.

Leon tightened his grip on him. Suddenly, Reeves strained for a breath. His body extended, reaching for something, but he couldn't find what he was looking for. The light in his eyes sparked, then went out. Like a balloon, he slowly deflated.

He was gone. Another one lost to this unending fight.

Handing his head, Leon moved away, revealing the body of Reeves to Unser.

"No!" Unser grabbed Reeves by his ballistic vest and shook him. "Wake up, you sonovabitch! Wake up!"

When Reeves did not comply, Unser simply broke down. His wails pierced through the whine of the motor, haunting the night.

Finally, Garcia reached forwards and put a hand on Unser's shoulder. Unser didn't push him away. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Garcia. As they gazed at each other, they somehow made peace.

Up at the bow, Leon could see the tiny flashing beacon of an ambulance waiting at the dock. Parked beside it was the black truck where Ada would be waiting.

As the team lead, a full debrief would be expected of him but Leon didn't feel like talking. He didn't feel much like thinking either, but he couldn't help himself. His head swam with questions he didn't have answers to. Above all, he couldn't help wondering how many more lives this war was going to claim. And whether he was next in line.

----

"What happened?"

Ada had stepped out of the truck right after they'd hauled Reeves out of the boat. She'd frozen when she saw the body. Immediately, her eyes had searched the group until she'd found Leon. Only then had she exhaled.

She'd watched silently as the medics rolled Reeves away. Unser had followed. She hadn't missed the glare he had shot her way. She'd stepped up to Leon then, her lips parted in apprehension, to ask her question.

He turned to her, kind of cold. "We were ambushed."

"That's impossible."

"Reeves isn't on a gurney because of friendly fire." His tone of voice was more frosty than he intended. He hoped that Ada hadn't noticed, but knew she wasn't one to miss nuances like these.

She searched his eyes, so he looked away. He didn't want her to see his suspicions.

He suddenly realised everybody had dispersed. Six months ago, he might have been surprised, but he'd since gotten used to how her proximity somehow made the rest of the world melt away. He didn't know how she did it--nobody else had ever had that effect on him--but her presence always rendered everyone else unnecessary.

She stepped close to him, so close he felt her warm breath against his cold cheek.

"Do you love me, Leon?"

He looked at her then. He needed her to see his eyes when he told the truth.

"You know I do."

"Then why don't you trust me?"

Her gaze was too much for him to bear. "In this particular case, one has nothing to do with the other."

Ada looked away this time, obviously hurt. Knowing that he'd hurt her was more painful than anything he'd known.

"Look, I'm in a mess right now. I don't know what I'm saying," he said, running his hand roughly over his face. "Can we do the debrief in the morning?"

That she understood how much he needed some time without him saying any more was exactly why he loved her. "I'll get details from Garcia."

She touched him on the arm.

"It wasn't your fault, Leon. Know that."

She didn't pressure him to respond by lingering. She marched back to the truck, opened the back door for him. Garcia was already sitting inside.

There was a part of him that wanted to walk away from it all, to give up. He was so tired. But when he looked at her, he thought about how much longer she'd been fighting this battle, and fighting alone. Her job was and had been exponentially harder than his. At least he'd never had to pretend. No, he couldn't walk away. Not while she was still inextricably linked to it.

Leon trudged over and climbed inside. As trying as it all was, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

----

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ghosts**

_[NB. I've rearranged things a little to balance the structure out. Those of you who read Chapter 1 when it was first published will have read the first part of Chapter 2. Loupie.]_

_----_

**Chapter 2**

It wasn't a surprise that three hours after he'd got into bed he was still awake. He'd known that sleep wasn't going to come easy. There was too much about that night's events to analyse and unravel. Until he found some answers, he wasn't going to get any rest.

He picked up his cellphone and speed-dialed the only woman he knew who could give him relief.

She answered after two rings. "You should be asleep."

"Trust me, I want to be. Where are you?"

"Heading back to my room. Just finished a four-hour strat meeting with Taylor."

"He's here?"

"Satellite. But I did have to talk him out of coming."

"Stay with me tonight."

There was the briefest of pauses.

"Be there in ten."

She was, in fact, three minutes early. He was already peering in the peephole when she walked up. He opened up so quickly her knuckles didn't even touch the door.

The woman was a sorceress--that was the only explanation he had for how she always managed to look good, whatever the hour. Even though she must not have slept in 24 hours, she showed no sign of fatigue.

She strolled in, casually peeling off her clothes as she moved.

"How're you doing?" she asked as she became ever more naked.

Leon cleared his throat and swallowed. "Hanging in there. Thanks for taking the heat tonight. I owe you one."

"That's what we do. Pay each other back."

"We do more than that."

He watched as she kicked off her shoes. She had the most beautiful feet.

"Do we know who tipped them off?" he asked.

She flashed him a glance. "Everybody seems clean. But we all have our suspicions."

There was a sarcasm in her tone that suggested she was referring to him. He knew she wasn't wholly serious, but he responded like she was. "I don't suspect you, Ada."

"I know." She sidled over to him. "But Unser does."

His hand floated up to cradle her bare waist. His desire for her surged when his fingers contacted her warm skin. "That's because you won't sleep with him."

"What if I weren't sleeping with you? Would you suspect me then?"

"Probably."

A smile appeared on her lips, but it quickly faded. "You did wonder though, didn't you?"

"It crossed my mind. Habit, I guess. But my gut didn't believe it."

She placed her hand against his chest. "I appreciate your honesty."

His own hands began to roam over her body. "You've earned it," he said, before pressing his lips to hers.

Six months on, their kisses were still electric. Their mouths somehow always dynamically tessellated with each other and their tongues tangoed to the same beat.

They inched towards the en-suite, leaving a trail of discarded clothes in their wake.

"So what's your battle plan?" she asked between kisses. "I know you haven't been lying in bed for hours without at least coming up with that."

"We have to go back in. Right away. They won't expect that."

She smiled. "That's what I told Taylor, but he's not going for it."

"What does he want to do?"

"Wait."

"That's a mistake."

"I agree."

With their lips still locked, they stepped into the shower. Ada reached behind her and turned on the shower. Leon made a low, animal groan. She had looked damn good before but with water running down her, she was heaven incarnate.

She broke their kiss to whisper in his ear. "That's why we're going back in tomorrow night."

He understood now why they were in the shower--she was worried they were bugged. He didn't really care why they were in there, he was just glad they were.

"We could get into a lot of trouble for that."

"Mmm. But we can get out of it, if we get what we need."

He was aching for her now, and she knew it. She liked torturing him a little, and Leon didn't mind one bit. He come to learn that delaying gratification often made experiences all the more intense.

"I think the two of us can pull it off," she continued. "What do you think?"

"I think you might be right." It wasn't just his impatience talking, but it was a large part of it. He had complete and utter confidence in both their individual abilities, but when they were together, magic always happened--whether they were on the field or in the shower.

----

20 hours later, Leon was back on the boat. This time, he was accompanied not by Unser and Garcia, but Ada.

Staring at the surf the boat kicked up, he was reminded of Spain, of the last time they were in a boat together. To say things wildly differed between now and then was an understatement.

Back then, he hadn't known they were on the same side, that they were working towards a common goal. He had wondered then whether it was the illegitimacy of their coming together that made her so desirable. Now, he knew that wasn't why she was so endlessly fascinating to him--it was something much deeper and more complex.

Ada defined him as a person. When he was with her, he became the man he was born to be. It was only then he allowed the entire spectrum of Leon Scott Kennedy to shine. This didn't make him a better person, nor did it make him a worse one. What it did do was make him complete.

There was no going back now. He wouldn't accept being half a man, or even three quarters of one, anymore. It was something that had taken him some time to realise, but he now knew he needed her more than life itself. He had already decided long ago that she was the woman he was going to be buried with. Whether that was going to happen tomorrow or 50 years down the line, Leon didn't know, but he was going to do everything in his power to make that date as far in the future as he could.

They were decked out in full stealth gear. Storming the fort hadn't worked the night before and neither of them thought it would now. The new plan was to get in and out without anyone even knowing they'd been there. But if the factory was again armed and ready, they'd play it slow and steady, only picking off key personnel with their sniper rifles if they absolutely had to. Preferably though, they'd be able to slip in, grab what they were there for, and slip out without anyone getting hurt. Leon had spilled more than enough blood in the line of duty. Ever since Spain, his goal was to spend the rest of his career 'neutralizing' as few people as possible.

Ada suddenly killed the engine. Leon didn't need to look up from the water to know the factory was still some way in the distance. They were wearing amphibious suits for a reason.

"Here." Ada tossed him his diving mask and snorkel. Both were equipped with semi-automatic pistols. The rest of their ordnance was safely stashed at a predefined point near the factory.

"Leon."

He turned to her. Her face was strangely sombre.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Her words floated over to him in the wet silence like the voice of his inner consciousness. As always, she'd somehow detected the tiny morsel of uncertainty that he was trying to hide from her.

"Why wouldn't I want to?"

"Because we could die in there."

She brought up a good point, though that wasn't the primary reason for his apprehension. No matter how good they were at their jobs, death was a possibility in every mission, but that had never bothered Leon too much. It wasn't that he had a death wish, but in his mind, dying an heroic death for a cause was the only way to go. And if Ada was at his side when that happened, it would the quintessential tragic but poetic end that would be most fitting for them.

"I'm okay with that. But I'm not okay with you sacrificing yourself to save me."

His gaze was both solemn and full of love. Selfless sacrifice had defined their relationship from the start. From the moment Leon took a bullet for Ada, the theme for the two of them had been set. Ever since, they'd been trading favors back and forth. She'd alluded to this last night, and it had made him uncomfortable then. Now he realized why--he needed the pattern to stop. Not at some indefinite point in the future, but tonight. If not, it would end the way it did six years ago. He couldn't count on her rising from the ashes a second time.

"I need you, Ada."

"You have me."

"I have pieces of you."

She looked at him silently. As vague as he was being, he was certain she knew what he was talking about. There had always been an understanding between them that often made words unnecessary. Consequently, he'd suppressed years' worth of stuff that he'd wanted to tell her. Some things though, had to be said.

"You know what haunts me to this day? You. Not the zombies, not the Ganados, not any of those monsters who was trying to rip me to shreds. Nothing haunts me like the memory of you giving up your life to save mine."

He looked at her then. She was still gazing at him, saying nothing. Even though her face seemed blank, he knew she'd heard him. What he was going to say next was probably unnecessary, but he said it anyway.

"Six months ago, you asked me to never let you go. Well, I'm asking you the same thing right now. If you let yourself die in there, it'll be like you putting a bullet in my brain yourself. I will not accept that."

Ada turned away, but not before Leon saw a telltale glimmer in her eyes.

He wanted to climb over and hold her in his arms but there was one last thing he needed her to hear him say before it was too late.

"You don't owe me anything, Ada. Nothing at all. Until you realize that, all I'll ever have is pieces of you. And that isn't good enough. After everything we've been through, I deserve the whole of you."

There was a long silence before she finally spoke, and when she did, she was all choked up.

"I'm right here, Leon. The whole of me. I'm not going to let myself die in there because I want to be with you. I'm not afraid of happiness anymore."

He almost cried hearing her say those words. He knew how hard it must have been for her to be so truthful, so vulnerable. The pride he felt for her right then was so intense he thought his chest would burst.

"Come over here," he said.

"You come over here."

"Can't."

"Me neither."

They sat on opposite ends of the boat gazing at each other, petrified like statues. The two of them had spent hours--days even--in bed being physically intimate over the last six months but never had they once laid themselves bare quite like this.

Slowly, smiles began to appear simultaneously on their lips. They were both perched on the edge of the boat, ready to fall in water. A twinkle in Ada's eye told Leon what to do. Leaning back, he dropped into the water.

The splashes they both made were surprisingly small. As they swam towards each other, Leon felt like he could stay under forever. With their bodies and lips pressed together, they floated to the surface, buoyant with euphoria.

Ada was shining. Droplets of water on her face caught errant rays of light and made her skin sparkle. She looked incredible. "You ready?"

"Let's get it done."

Nothing more needed to be said. Ada turned her head and looked in the distance where the factory was glowing vaguely. It was probably no further than 500 meters away. "Race you to the finish?"

"You're on."

Ada dove down. Leon followed suit a split second later. He knew he'd surface ahead of her. He could swim faster, but she could go for longer. If Leon were a betting man, he'd wager that they'd get to the finish side by side, with nothing between them and both of them winners.

----

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ghosts**

**Chapter 3**

"Tell me we're not responsible for this, Leon."

Her whispered words reverberated in the cavernous space, ricocheting off the demolished walls and mounds of debris.

Only yesterday, the bunker they were standing in housed a fully-functioning bio-organic weapons laboratory. They'd studied stolen surveillance footage before they had attempted to gain access last night.

Sometime in the intervening 24 hours, the secret bunker had been reduced to a bomb site. The destruction hadn't been confined to the structure. Scores of inanimate bodies were buried in the rubble. Some were contorted in death throes, a relic from the moment of their expiration.

Total devastation.

He surveyed the wreckage around him and shook his head, barely able to speak.

"We didn't even make it down here."

The laboratory was half a mile underground, tucked deep enough away that technicians here wouldn't have heard gunshots. The skirmish last night couldn't possibly have put a scratch in here.

Besides, no explosives had been detonated, at least not by Leon and his team. If they had, 2,500 feet of earth would have done no doubt its job of protecting those in its embrace. Ironically, that also meant they couldn't escape from its clutches.

"Everything's been destroyed." Ada looked down at her feet. A charred hand with fingers crushed and missing jutted out from the ashes. "What was in here?"

"Besides the research?"

"There had to be more."

"I think you're right."

He holstered his pistol, bent over and cleared the rubble off a body entombed within. The corpse was so disfigured that Leon couldn't tell if it was male or female. Concrete dust spilled out of its open mouth like it was vomiting the stuff.

Leon glanced over at Ada. She was studying the surroundings with unusual intensity. "What is it?" he asked.

"Something's not right."

She whirled around and tilted her head, examining rest of the space. "If you were trying to destroy this place, where would you put the explosives?"

Leon looked around. Only then did he noticed the tell-tale blast patterns scarring what was left of the walls. Basic forensic science told him that the people who undertook the demolition of this place had had the exact same training he had.

The implications were too grave for Leon to process but process them he did. He turned to her. They shared a troubled gaze.

"The resistance from last night...." he began.

"They were our guys," she finished.

That mysterious and ridiculously well-armed resistance that had held off Leon and his team last night hadn't been the defenders of the fort at all--they had been the wrecking crew. Their mission: to dismantle the laboratory, even at the cost of the life of one of their own.

Embedded deep in Reeves' corpse was a bullet Leon knew would never show up in the official autopsy report. A bullet that came from a firearm licensed to the US government.

"Why would they do this?"

Ada looked like she had an answer but she didn't have time to respond. Distant sounds of marching feet drifted into the main chamber. They glanced at each other and communicated a wordless message. Leon immediately dashed towards Ada and followed her through a jagged hole in the wall. They pulled out their weapons and flattened themselves on either side of the opening.

"Paris, twenty-oh-four," Ada whispered inexplicably.

Leon frowned, confused. "You mean, Spain, twenty-oh-four."

Ada shook her head and shot him a meaningful look. "Paris, twenty-oh-four." She quickly peeked out of the opening. "They're here."

As Leon pressed himself harder against the crumbling wall, he half worried that it would fall to pieces from the pressure. To his relief, it stayed put.

The footsteps grew loud as the mysterious party entered the main chamber. Judging from the sound, Leon estimated the party was comprised of no more than twenty, but no less than ten. There was something about the timbre of the treads that made him think they were armed.

A long time seemed to pass. They didn't speak, but they made no attempt to be quiet. They either didn't know they had company, or didn't care.

It wasn't what he and Ada wanted, but they had been prepared to take on similar numbers. Their ordnance was mostly non-lethal: flashbang, tear gas grenades, and other weapons compatible with their agreed terms of engagement. The sniper rifles and semi-automatic pistols they carried were to be used only if and when necessary. As each second ticked by, it seemed that things were indeed going to take that turn.

Finally, somebody spoke. "It's time to come out. We know you're in here."

The voice was loud and brassy and the bounced off the broken surfaces over and over, making it difficult to recognize. Even so, it was familiar enough a voice, and distinct enough of one, that Leon knew without a doubt who it was.

Their direct superior. Taylor.

He wasn't supposed to be here, but here he was, and with armed troops trained at them, no less. It was possible, of course, that he didn't realize it was them. If he did, surely he'd have approached them differently, with, say, more trust. Leon clung onto that comforting thought, simultaneously aware that he continued to stay hidden.

"It's over, Agent Wong. We know everything."

It surprised Leon that Taylor's words didn't surprise him. Clearly, a part of him had been anticipating something like this for some time now. He'd grown distrustful and come to expect the unexpected--how could he not, when he consorted with the likes of Ada Wong. Suspicion and cynicism were wells he'd been forced to drink out of over the last six years, even if the water was bitter and nauseating. No, this turn of events didn't surprise him. After all, he'd been in this position many times before.

Except on this occasion, it wasn't Ada that he doubted. 24 hours ago, he might have reached a different conclusion, one much less flattering for Ada. But yesterday was the past. Tonight, at this precise moment and forever more, there was nobody else he trusted, and nobody else he would trust, more than he did her.

He didn't have to look at her, and knew she didn't need to look at him. He was certain that she was reacting to Taylor's words in exactly the same way. There was simply no doubting one another anymore. Trust was beautiful that way.

His complete and utter faith in Ada caused Leon some unsettlingly difficulties though: it made him suspicious of everybody else. Taylor included.

"Come on, Agent Wong. I don't want to send in the troops," Taylor prodded.

As resonant as Taylor's voice was, Leon could tell he was a good distance away from their hiding place. He ducked down and rolled over to Ada.

This was no time for carnal pleasures, but he cradled her face and kissed her anyway. Pressing his forehead to hers, he mouthed two words to her: "Use me."

He didn't need to say any more. She understood him completely. He knew she was agreeing with his high-risk strategy not because she didn't care, but because she had as much faith in him as he had in her.

Leon turned around for Ada to grab him.

"Love you," she whispered as she pressed her locked and loaded pistol to his temple, a position he was growing increasingly comfortable in.

"Love you."

As one, they crabbed towards the hole into view.

Taylor was standing behind two dozen armed agents, all aimed at Leon and Ada. When he saw Leon, he took a small step back.

"If I were you, Taylor, I'd tell your boys to hold fire. You don't want to lose Kennedy too. There'll be a lot of paperwork."

Playing his role, Leon growled,"You'll never get away with this, Ada."

Ada pulled him roughly by the hair, which thrilled him just a little. He wondered briefly--very very briefly--if he would be into S&M.

"You're here to be seen, handsome, not heard," she snarled back seductively.

Taylor didn't look entirely taken in but Leon detected a touch of concern in his features. "Are you alright, Leon?"

"I'll live," he croaked.

"What do you want, Agent Wong?"

"To get out of here. Alive. Unwounded. And on my own."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"At least tell me what it is I'm supposed to have done."

"You know full well what you've done."

"Why don't you entertain me?"

Taylor spread his arms. "This, for one."

"I'm getting credit for this sloppy demolition job?"

"Are you denying it?"

"Would it make a difference if I was?"

Taylor's lack of response gave Ada the answer.

"Looks like you've already made up your mind about me."

"We have sufficient evidence."

"I'm sure you do."

Suddenly, Leon knocked Ada's gun out of her hand, and wrestled her away from the opening, out of Taylor's and the sharpshooters' view.

"Go!" he whispered urgently.

Ada didn't tarry. Putting the precious seconds Leon was buying her to good use, she had already disappeared from view when Leon fired three shots into the wall for distraction, and one into his ballistic vest-covered torso. He knew the bullet wouldn't kill him, but it was going to leave a hell of a bruise.

By the time the sharpshooters got to him five seconds later, Leon had no doubt that Ada was already halfway up the elevator shaft, on her way to disappearing forever.

----

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ghosts**

_The story finally ends. Thanks for reading, and thanks especially for reviewing. Loupie._

----

**Chapter 4**

Leon lifted his shirt and inspected his abdomen. A large bruise was already setting in where he had fired a bullet at himself.

Garcia was sitting with him in the room where Leon was being detained for questioning. His official role was perhaps a kind of chaperone or even guard, but Leon knew he was mostly here as a friend. He trusted Garcia for the most part, but however trustworthy he was, he was ultimately a company man. Leon no longer trusted company men.

"Looks bad. Sure you don't wanna see a doctor?"

Leon shook his head and let his shirt drop. "It'll heal," he said.

"Unlike some other wounds."

They exchanged a glance. Garcia looked genuinely sympathetic.

"I didn't believe it when they first told me. Even with Unser mouthing off, she just seemed on the level to me. I guess you got sucked in too."

"So what changed your mind?" Leon asked.

"They have evidence. Photographs and recordings."

"You've seen them?"

"No. But I'm not gonna argue with Taylor, am I?"

"Not if you want to stick around."

"Guess it makes sense. When you work undercover as long as she did, it's hard not to turn to the dark side."

"I take it you're not lining up for the ghost squad."

"Hey--I've been tempted. But...." Garcia shook his head. "I don't know. You become who you pretend to be, you know? You gotta be careful who you pretend to be."

"Wise words."

"Ripped it from somewhere, I'm sure."

Garcia studied him for a moment. After a silence, he asked, "She break your heart?"

Leon smiled wryly. He was glad he could give Garcia an honest, albeit out-of-date, answer. "Yeah."

"Women do that."

Leon chose the easiest thing to say. "They sure do."

"God knows mine's been broken time and again. You just gotta hang in there."

"I will." It amused Leon a little that Garcia, 4 years his junior, was giving him brotherly advice in matters of the heart.

Garcia stood up. "I better go. Taylor'll be here any minute. I'll see ya later."

He headed towards the door.

"Hey," Leon suddenly said.

Garcia stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

Leon hesitated. He wondered if asking his question was the best idea, but since he'd been reckless all night, he decided to stay on track.

"Between you and me, you think they're right about her?"

Garcia took his time to answer. "I don't know."

"What does your gut say?"

Garcia lowered his eyes and considered for another moment. Then, he looked Leon in the eye. "Be smart, Leon. Some things are bigger than us."

Leon nodded knowingly. "Take care of yourself, Garcia."

There was a quiet, mutual understanding that somehow they would probably never see each other again.

"Right back atcha," Garcia said. "Been an honor, Kennedy." Smiling sadly, he slipped out. The door closed heavily behind him, emphasizing the finality of their acquaintance.

Leon leaned back on his chair and sighed. His mind was swirling with the myriad of unthinkable reasons that explained the current circumstances. Amongst the chaos, one thing was clear: Ada was being used as a scapegoat.

She was, after all, the easiest target. As Garcia had said, it made perfect sense that the ex-uncover agent was in fact working against them. In playing the enemy, she had become the enemy. It didn't take any stretch of the imagination to believe that explanation. But Leon knew by logic as well as instinct that Ada was not the one. Even though he wasn't prepared to openly admit it, Garcia agreed with him. That meant the real traitor was still in their midst.

Leon wasn't sure what the best course of action was. He felt a duty to find the mole but there was a growing part of him that wondered if some things _were_ bigger than they were. He wondered what Garcia meant exactly. That there was a larger conspiracy that he wasn't even close to seeing? If that were indeed the case, he wasn't sure he wanted to be part of it.

Time was ticking. Taylor was due at any moment and Leon wanted to resolve a few things before he arrived. He wished Ada was here to make things clear for him. For the foreseeable future though, he was on his own.

She would, he knew, contact him as soon as it was safe, but that could mean days, weeks, months--who knew how long? Leon was beginning to think a more active approach on his part was preferable. He'd lost six years already, six years he could never get back. He was damn well not going to waste any more time being apart from the woman he loved.

He suddenly knew what he had to do. He had to leave here and get to her. But he also knew that once he left, he could never come back. It wasn't as easy a choice as it seemed. Although being a government agent hadn't been exactly what he'd set out to be, it had turned out to be a perfect fit for him. Yet as much as his job was part of him, he knew now it wasn't what made him who he was. That honor belonged to Ada.

Leon made his decision. By the time Taylor was ready to knock on the door, he would not be here to answer it.

----

As Leon stood on the platform at the train station in central Geneva, he smilingly marveled at the amount of confidence Ada had in him. Somehow, she'd trusted him to decipher her cryptic utterance.

Paris, twenty-oh-four was a _train_.

And somewhere among the dwindling crowds in the station was Ada.

The clock on the platform declared it was 20:01. He didn't have a ticket for Paris. Instead, he had purchased a ticket to Berlin and was in fact standing at the platform opposite to the one where the Paris train was sitting. In the attempt to to make himself as hard to follow as possible, he was going to leave it until the last possible moment before boarding the Paris train.

He had spent the last sixteen hours hiding out on a boat at the dock. The boat wasn't empty, so he hadn't gotten much rest. Lying there on the stern watching the stars, he'd imagined being with Ada in some place somewhere they could be free. With sadness, he acknowledged that it was a fantasy. He'd resigned himself to a turbulent future with Ada--it was just how things were going to be. There would be moments of peace and liberty, but they would only ever be moments.

As long as she was there though, he would be happy with moments.

20:01 became 20:02. As if on cue, the Berlin train pulled in. He waited patiently for the passengers to alight before casually strolling in.

He had a minute and half to kill so he sat down and pretended to settle himself in for a long ride. A mustached man Leon had noticed on the platform came into his carriage and sat down behind him. Within seconds, he felt the scorch of the man's gaze on the back of his head. Perhaps he was just imagining it, but he wasn't about to ignore his hunch.

Keeping a close tab on the clock on the platform, he calmed his heart, and waited for precisely 63 seconds.

Then, Leon turned away from the window and looked up and down the carriage, seemingly for the washroom. With 22 seconds to go, he got up and trudged towards the front of the train where the washroom was supposed to be located.

It took him exactly 8 seconds to get through the carriage. As he turned to shut the door behind him, he saw the mustached man out of the corner of his eye entering the carriage he'd just left.

Leon quickened his pace, but not so much it would raise suspicion. He made it through to the next carriage in 6 seconds but the man was closing the gap on him. He didn't seem to care whether he blew his cover anymore.

5 seconds later, Leon was stepping off the second carriage . The washroom was in the next carriage, but he wasn't going in there.

He heard a whistle. The adjacent train started to move off. Paris, twenty-oh-four, with Ada inside, was leaving.

From his pocket, Leon withdrew an object and clapped it onto the door he'd just closed. It was a magnetic device that would hold the lock in place indefinitely, as long as it wasn't shot off. He didn't need forever though. Just a few more seconds.

The Paris train was picking up speed. He had to get on it now.

He took a breath, and went for the gap between the penultimate and last carriages. He hoped he'd timed his jump exactly right.

----

Six minutes after the train departed, Ada started to second guess herself. She'd been supremely confident that he'd understand what Paris, twenty-oh-four meant, even though he'd appeared confused when she first told him. She simply believed in him.

But now, as the train rushed headlong towards the French capital, the first doubts started to creep in. She didn't allow herself to think about all the ways he could have been prevented from getting here, nor did she spend any time debating whether or not he had decided to come. She refused to allow insecurity into her life. In her line of work, self-doubt often led to death. Emotion of any kind for that matter.

Ada was sitting in a busy carriage. The young man sitting opposite her, his confidence no doubt bolstered by a drink or two, was babbling something at her. Her French was not fluent, but she caught enough of what he said to know he was suggesting she partake in vulgar acts in the washroom with him. Curbing her desire to kill him, she turned away from him to face the window as politely as she could.

It was then a pleasant and familiar scent drifted over to her.

"Excusez-moi, monsieur. Ce siège est occupé."

The utterance came from behind and it was heavily accented with American. It caused a warmth to flood Ada's heart.

_Leon_.

Instead of turning around like she desperately wanted to, she glanced at the young man. Apologizing profusely, he stood up and slithered away. He must have been burned with a hell of a glare.

Using all of her will power, Ada kept her eyes averted as Leon sat down beside her.

"French, huh? I'm impressed."

"Had to be done," Leon said. "Didn't want a repeat of Spain. People yelling things you don't understand while they're trying kill you. It's hell."

"I remember."

"Only thing that kept me sane was a girl who spoke my language."

"Ashley?"

Leon let out a breathy laugh. "Did I tell you I'm marrying her?"

A smile sneaked onto Ada's lips. "Congratulations."

They were quiet for a moment.

"How are you?" asked Ada, turning serious. She was genuinely concerned that he may be hurt. She knew what their organization was capable of when they wanted information, especially when overseas.

But Leon's pithy answer not only put her at rest, it elevated her to a state of bliss.

"Ecstatic," he said, clutching her hand.

Ada looked at him finally. His clear, blue eyes were already on her, shining.

She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Me too."

THE END

----

*Garcia's line, "You become who you pretend to be, you know? You gotta be careful who you pretend to be" is a variation of what Kurt Vonnegut writes in the introduction to his novel _Mother Night_.


End file.
